By J.O. Parker

​      What do Pork Burgers, Pork n Beans, Pickle Ball, Pickled Beets, Punch Bowl and Pumpkin Bars have in common?
      They are the menu for a fundraiser the Brooklyn Ruritan Club is hosting on March 14 to raise funds to bring two Pickle Ball courts to Brooklyn.
     The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. at the Brooklyn Ruritan building for a free will donation. Carry out will be available.
       Pickle ball is a rapidly growing, easy-to-learn paddle sport combining tennis, badminton, and ping-pong elements, played on a large court with a net. Key rules include mandatory underhand serves, the "two-bounce rule" (ball must bounce once per side), and a 7-foot non-volley "kitchen" zone. It is highly beneficial for cardiovascular health, bone density, and social interaction.
       The idea to build the courts came about at a recent Ruritan club meeting. Club members were asked to write down ideas for a project that would benefit the Brooklyn community. A pickle ball court was the top vote getter.
        Jim Foels, a member of the Brooklyn Ruritan Club, said an exact location of the new courts is not known at this time. The Ruritans are considering possible locations, but no decision has been made.
        Cost of the project is estimated to be around $20,000.
      If you are unable to attend the fundraiser, but would like to donate, send checks to the Brooklyn Ruritan Club, P.O. Box 271, Brooklyn, Iowa 52211.
 

        Gary and Marsha Hash of Brooklyn along with Caleb "Cub" Schaffner, (not pictured), owner of Cub's Automotive in Brooklyn and Grinnell, will lead the charge of bringing the three-quarter size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to Brooklyn on July 27. The motorcade will leave Altoona at 2 p.m. and will take Highway 6 to Brooklyn. The Wall That Hills be on display 24-hours per day from July 30 to Aug. 2. Submitted photo.

​By J.O. Parker
 
        The Wall That Heals is coming to Brooklyn, July 30 – Aug. 2.
       And helping lead the charge of bringing the three-quarter size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to town will be Gary and Marsha Hash.
        Joining them will be Caleb “Cub” Schaffner, owner of Cubs Automotive in Brooklyn and Grinnell. 
      Gary and Cub will lead the honor guard of motorcycles followed by a semi carrying the Wall That Heals from Prairie Meadows in Altoona to Brooklyn. Marsha will be driving a support vehicle.
       The honor escort will travel along Highway 6 before turning north at Kellogg (due to road construction) and passing by Rock Creek Lake, before returning to Highway 6 on T-38 and rolling through Grinnell and east to Brooklyn.
        The motorcycle honor escort will leave Altoona on Tuesday, July 28 with kickstands up at 2 p.m. Bikers are asked to arrive in Altoona by 1 p.m.
         It is expected to take two hours to make the trek from Altoona to Brooklyn.
        Currently there are 50 motorcyclists signed up for the honor escort. That number is expected to increase as word gets out and the event gets closer.
        Gary, Marsha and Cub are part of a committee to plan and lead the honor escort. The couple was asked to serve on the honor escort committee and Cub was asked to join them.
       “When Gary and Marsha reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be a part of the wall escort, I told them that I was honored to be part of a homecoming to these soldiers,” said Cub.
         Having been born in the 1980s, Cub said he wasn’t around during the Vietnam War.
        “I know a lot of Vietnam veterans and I heard that they didn’t have a good welcoming homecoming after the war,” said Cub. “So, to be a part of honoring them for their sacrifices to our country is a privilege for me to do something like that.”
        Cub is part of a motorcycle fundraiser called “Riding to Remember” held annually in June. The ride is held to raise money for cancer research.
      Gary along with Rusty Clayton and Tom Ryan of Brooklyn visited the Wall That Heals last summer in Nevada.
      When they got back to the car, Rusty asked, “What do you think? Is it possible to bring the wall to Brooklyn?”
         Gary said he told Rusty, “It will be a lot of work, but anything is possible.”
        Clayton applied to bring the wall to Brooklyn and the town was selected for 2026. Only 31 cities across the United States are selected to showcase the Wall That Heals each year.
          “We were very lucky to get it so soon,” said Gary.
       Gary has been riding motorcycles all of his life and has repaired Harley Davidsons for 55 years. When    Clayton asked him and Marsha to lead the honor escort charge, Gary said he considers it a privilege.
         “It kind of fits in with my military service and Harley Davidsons,” said Gary.
         Gary served in the U.S. Army from 1966 – 1968, where he worked as a motor pool mechanic.
         “What we are doing is just one aspect of the Wall That Heals,” noted Gary of his and Marsha’s work.
          “We will have a lot of people involved,” added Marsha. “It’s a big undertaking.”
Related information

• The Wall That Heals is being sponsored by the Brooklyn American Legion Post 294 and the Brooklyn Ruritan Club.
• The Wall will be displayed at the BGM High School Football Field and will be open 24-hours a day.

    •     More than 300 volunteers are needed around the clock between July 29 – Aug. 2. To volunteer, contact Rusty at 641-990-4304 or Marsha at 641-891-4116 or visit the Ruritan website to sign up.
     •     The event is free to attend.
     •     On Friday, July 31 there will be a special program about Agent Orange.

• Organizers are looking for names and information on soldiers who served in Vietnam and have since passed away.
• The Wall features 58,281 names.
• The Wall is 375 feet long

The Wall That Heals
     On Veterans Day 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (WMF) unveiled a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities through the United States. Since its dedication, The Wall That Heals has been displayed in more than 800 communities throughout the nation, spreading the Memorial’s healing legacy to millions.
    Bringing The Wall home to communities throughout our country allows the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist once more among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings. The traveling exhibit provides thousands of veterans who have been unable to cope with the prospect of facing The Wall to find the strength and courage to do so within their own communities thus allowing the healing process to begin.
       The main components of The Wall That Heals are The Wall replica and the mobile Education Center.
      The Wall That Heals exhibit was on the road for more than 16,000 miles and visited 31 communities across the country during its 2025 season. The Wall was escorted by more than 3,500 vehicles into those communities, and spread The Wall’s healing legacy to more than 232,000 visitors. Guided tours of the exhibit were provided to more than 17,000 visitors.